For many years, the canvas was mistakenly known under the title “Portrait of Countess Finkh,” under which it was offered in the auction catalog of 1935. Only recent research has revealed that the woman depicted in the portrait is Eleonore von Wilke, the wife of Lovis Corinth’s longtime friend – the writer and lawyer Adolf von Wilke. The portrait “Eleonore von Wilke,” created in 1907, was not the first image of Eleonore von Wilke created by the painter. The artist had portrayed her a decade earlier, but the portrait from 1907 is undoubtedly her most representative depiction. The composition shows a woman dressed in an elaborate gown. Her arms are covered with a tulle shawl, and her hands are adorned with satin gloves. The overall ensemble is complemented by jewelry, a hat decorated with feathers, and a fan with ostrich feathers. The background consists of a wall covered with floral-patterned wallpaper, giving dynamism to the composition.
The portrait became part of Ismar Littmann’s collection from the holdings of Adolf von Wilke. The likely reason for the sale was the second marriage of Adolf von Wilke in 1921 when the large portrait of his first wife ceased to be a welcome decoration.
In 1935, the portrait was offered at an auction in the Berlin salon of Max Perl. The next owner was the Heimann Bank in Breslau. In 1937, the canvas became part of the collection of the Silesian Museum of Fine Arts in Breslau. After the Second World War, the painting belonged to the Kretschmer family in Berlin and was later deposited at the Berlin Gallery of the 20th Century. Today, it can be admired in the collections of the National Gallery in Berlin.
Painting Information:
oil on canvas, dimensions: 140 x 104 cm, current owner: Nationalgalerie, Berlin.
Literature: Charlotte Berend-Corinth, Lovis Corinth. Die Gemälde. Werkverzeichnis. Neu bearbeitet von Béatrice Hernad, München 1992, 2. Aufl., S. 106, Nr. 346.